1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to polymeric compositions, and, more particularly, to a non-continuous, vinyl lactam polymeric composition having two phases therein, particularly suitable for making clear to translucent, water-resistant, color inkjet receptive films on a substrate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Polymeric compositions of vinyl lactam monomers generally are one-phase, soluble, high viscosity materials. These compositions are found in a variety of commercial applications such as film formers, dye transfer inhibitors, rheology modifiers, dispersants, excipients, and drug delivery. Aqueous gels of these monomers can also be prepared by light covalent or associative crosslinking of polymer chains resulting in a highly swellable, one phase material of high viscosity. These compositions are effective thickeners for use in personal care formulations such as hair care products.
Niessner, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,149,750 and 5,180,804, disclosed finely divided, water-swellable gel-like, water-swellable copolymers by polymerization of comonomers in the presence of a surfactant.
Liu, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,855, described a homogeneous terpolymer for hair care use, however, without a crosslinking agent.
Kopolow, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,121, described personal care compositions containing a stabilized cosmetically-active product obtained by in situ polymerization of a water-soluble vinyl monomer in the presence of discrete microdroplets of a cosmetically-active oil in water.
Blankenburg, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,169 and 6,107,397, also described uncrosslinked aqueous copolymer dispersions of nonionic water-soluble monomers with N-vinyl groups, and hydrophobic monomers.
Steckler, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,175, disclosed highly absorbent spongy gel polymer materials by simultaneously copolymerizing and partially crosslinking a comonomer mixture of an alkyl acrylate and a heterocyclic N-vinyl monomer containing a carbonyl functionality in the presence of a hydrophobic liquid diluent in which the final polymer is insoluble.
Markus, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,716, described a process for making swellable resins by copolymerizing monomers in the presence of a water-soluble non-redox divalent-ion containing salt.
Tseng, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,393,854 and 5,717,045 disclosed a one-phase, aqueous gel of crosslinked copolymers of vinyl pyrrolidone and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate for use in hair care products. The crosslinking agent was 1-vinyl-3-(E)-ethylidene pyrrolidone. The gels had a Brookfield viscosity of between 60,000 and 100,000.
These references illustrate the desire of the art to produce a continuous network of polymer molecules, or microgel which is a one-phase system, and of high viscosity.
Another application for polymeric compositions is in color ink-jet printing. The advent of color inkjet printing has been instrumental in fueling the print-on-demand revolution and has also created a number of challenges. Often, the surface of the desired media does not possess the necessary properties for accepting the ink-jet ink. This results in long dry times and/or a poor ink-jet image. It has long been recognized that a surface treatment or media coating plays a critical role in the final print quality. Numerous media coatings are known in the art. They may contain any number of components and often consist of more than one layer. These ink-receptive coatings generally contain at least one hydrophilic polymer; often poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). In contrast to the teaching of the thickener art for personal care products, networked, highly swellable polymeric systems are undesirable in this application. Soluble PVP brings many benefits to properly formulated media coatings including rapid ink dry time, excellent print quality, highly resolved circular dots, and high, uniform optical density. Furthermore, copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone (VP) along with other suitable comonomers, such as dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, acrylic acid, or vinyl acetate, have been used separately or in conjunction with PVP, to further optimize performance. Unfortunately, their resistance to water penetration can be weak. It is desired to provide long-term, excellent water-resistant qualities for such films.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aqueous polymeric composition which is not a gel but a combination of film forming polymer and substantially, uniformly dispersed minute resinous particles that under suitable light magnification, shows the presence of two discrete phases therein, one which is a water soluble polymer and the other are in situ-formed, water-insoluble resinous particles.
Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide an advantageously water-resistant color inkjet-receptive film coated with the defined polymer composition of the invention, which is capable of being printed from a color ink-jet printer to form superior water-resistant color images thereon.
Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a water-resistant film with improved light fastness, UV protection, and bleed reduction.
Accordingly, another object of the invention is to demonstrate the utility of these compositions for a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, dye transfer inhibitors, rheology modifiers, refractive index modifiers, UV protectants, fragrance and silicone delivery, dispersants, excipients, drug delivery, and in personal care formulations.
Another object herein is to provide a suitable process for making such a polymeric composition.
A feature of the invention is the provision of an aqueous polymeric composition suitable for forming clear to translucent, water-resistant coatings on a substrate.